US says tanker seizure targeted Venezuelan leader Maduro's 'regime' / Photo: SAUL LOEB - AFP
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US says tanker seizure targeted Venezuelan leader Maduro's 'regime'
The US seizure of an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela targeted leftist leader Nicolas Maduro's "regime," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Thursday, as fears of open conflict mount in both Washington and Caracas.
Washington seized the tanker in a dramatic raid Wednesday that saw US forces fast-rope out of a helicopter onto the massive vessel, which the United States says was part of a network that smuggled sanctioned crude.
President Donald Trump's administration has been piling pressure on Venezuela for months with a major naval build-up in the region that has been accompanied by strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats that have killed close to 90 people.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed support during a phone call with his Venezuelan ally Maduro, but with Moscow's forces tied down in a grinding war in Ukraine, its capacity to provide aid is limited.
"It was a successful operation directed by the president to ensure that we're pushing back on a regime that is systematically covering and flooding our country with deadly drugs," Noem said of the tanker seizure during a congressional hearing on worldwide threats to the US homeland.
Trump announced the seizure during an event at the White House, saying Washington would likely keep the oil the ship carried but leaving US plans for the vessel and its crew unclear.
A video released by US Attorney General Pam Bondi showed American forces descending from a helicopter onto the tanker's deck using ropes, then entering the ship's bridge with weapons raised.
- 'Act of war' -
Bondi said the ship was part of an "illicit oil shipping network" that was used to carry sanctioned oil.
Venezuela's foreign ministry however said it "strongly denounces and condemns what constitutes blatant theft and an act of international piracy."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday expressed concern over the escalating tensions and urged restraint.
"We are calling on all actors to refrain from action that could further escalate bilateral tensions and destabilize Venezuela and the region," his spokesperson said.
US media reported that the tanker was heading for Cuba -- another American rival, which on Thursday "strongly" condemned the seizure -- and that the ship was stopped by the US Coast Guard.
Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Thursday he questioned the legality of the tanker seizure and that "any president, before he engages in an act of war, has to have the authorization of the American people through Congress."
"This president is preparing for an invasion of Venezuela, simply said. And if the American people are in favor of that, I'd be surprised," Durbin told CNN.
Washington has accused Maduro of leading the alleged "Cartel of the Suns," which it declared a "narco-terrorist" organization last month, and has offered a $50 million reward for information leading to his capture.
Trump told Politico on Monday that Maduro's "days are numbered" and declined to rule out a US ground invasion of Venezuela.
Trump's administration also alleges that Maduro's hold on power is illegitimate and that he stole Venezuela's July 2024 election.
Maduro -- the political heir to leftist leader Hugo Chavez -- says the United States is bent on regime change and wants to seize Venezuela's oil reserves.
R.Hansen--HHA
